Casual Dining
We report on the business of casual dining, a key segment of the UK foodservice sector encompassing high-street restaurant brands, all-day dining concepts, and accessible, mid-market hospitality. This includes our coverage of openings, closures, financial results, menu innovation, tech integration, and leadership moves across the casual dining space. Whether you’re managing a national chain or operating a regional brand, we deliver timely insight into the pressures, pivots, and opportunities shaping this highly competitive market, with a focus on operational performance, consumer trends, and commercial sustainability.
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Nov- 2025 -3 NovemberRestaurants
Gordon Ramsay Restaurants posts FY pre-tax loss of £12.6m
Gordon Ramsay Restaurants Ltd has posted a pre-tax loss of £12.6m for the 70-week period to 29 December 2024, despite reporting a record rise in underlying EBITDA to £12m during the same period. The results cover an extended accounting period following a change to the company’s financial year-end from August…
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Oct- 2025 -24 OctoberPubs and Bars
Hospitality sales growth remains flat at 0.2% in September
Britain’s managed restaurant, pub and bar groups remained flat in September with a like-for-like sales growth of 0.2%, though “cautious optimism” has been reported ahead of the festive quarter, according to the latest CGA RSM Hospitality Business Tracker. It marks a second consecutive month of fractional growth, following a 0.5%…
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Sep- 2025 -30 SeptemberFood and Drink
Tortilla UK posts record H1 profits amid European expansion
Tortilla has reported record profitability in its UK operations for the 26-week period to 29 June, which has helped offset early-stage investment losses in France as the company continues its European expansion. The fast-casual Mexican restaurant group revealed that its adjusted EBITDA in the UK rose 33% to £2.4m, which…
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8 SeptemberPubs and Bars
Wetherspoon signs franchise deal with Papas Group for 15 new pubs
JD Wetherspoon has agreed a new franchise deal with the Papas Group that will see 15 new pubs open across the UK. The first venue, named The Hykeham Manor, will open on 1 October at Gateway Park in Lincoln, on the site of a former Brewers Fayre. Three more pubs…
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Aug- 2025 -27 AugustRestaurants
Denny’s eyes UK expansion through franchise deals
American diner chain Denny’s is eyeing “significant” expansion in the UK as it considers a master franchise for the country. The franchise holder for Denny’s in the UK has appointed business advisory firm FRP Corporate Finance to assess potential partners to acquire the franchise of the brand, which operates from…
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12 AugustRestaurants
Pasta Evangelists to open 100 restaurants across the UK
Pasta Evangelists has unveiled its plan to open 100 restaurants across the UK in the next five years. The company, together with its franchise partners, will invest over £30m in the new restaurants and said it is actively looking for sites and new partners across the South of England, Midlands…
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12 AugustRestaurants
L’Osteria acquires majority stake in Pizza Pilgrims
Italian restaurant brand L’Osteria has acquired a majority stake in UK-based pizza chain Pizza Pilgrims as part of a plan to expand its international portfolio, for an undisclosed sum. The Munich-headquartered group said that the deal, announced on 11 August, would help build an “Italian brand world” and support its…
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8 AugustFeatures
Could Gusto’s fall signal a casual dining scene in crisis?
Italian restaurant chain Gusto, once seen as a staple of mid-market dining in the UK, has become the latest brand to fall victim to the sector’s mounting structural and economic challenges. On 29 July, the 13-site operator entered administration before being swiftly acquired via a pre-pack deal by Cherry Equity…
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5 AugustBusiness
Hospitality sector has shrunk by 14.2% since March 2020, CGA finds
The hospitality sector is 14.2% smaller in August 2025 than it was in March 2020 before the first covid lockdown, according to data from CGA and Alix Partners. It comes as the sector has seen 62 net closures per month, or two a day since the beginning of the year.…
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4 AugustRestaurants
Tasty raises £9.25m to support its planned acquisition
Casual dining group Tasty has raised £9.25m before expenses through a share placing and subscription to support its planned acquisition. The news comes after the AIM-listed company placed 1.7 billion new shares and issued a further 150.6 million shares by subscription, each priced at 0.5p. The price represents a discount…
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